An Ohio grand jury has charged two cousins from Illinois with conspiracy to commit terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens overseas and military personnel stationed in the Middle East.

Zubair A. Ahmed, 27, and Khaleel Ahmed, 26, were arrested on February 21, 2007, during a raid on an apartment complex and a house in Chicago. The arrest was ordered after a grand jury in Ohio issued an indictment against the cousins that claimed they were "involved in finding recruits to wage a violent jihad against Americans" and "locating sites for training in the use of firearms, explosives, and hand-to-hand combat."

The cousins have ties to three Toledo, Ohio, men accused of planning to send money and computers to the Middle East and of recruiting others to attack American forces in Iraq, according to the indictment.  The three men, Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Wassim I. Mazloum, have pleaded not guilty and are currently awaiting trial in Ohio.

El-Hindi allegedly introduced the Ahmed cousins to a man in Cleveland described in the court documents as "the trainer."  During this meeting, the cousins allegedly discussed sniper tactics, surveillance techniques and said they were willing to travel abroad to carry out terror attacks.  

The cousins could receive a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.